On Friday Cassie Mac Duff a reporter for the Press Enterprise penned an article on the apparent signs of San Bernardino on a upward rebound. A lot was talked about in the article but a lot was conveniently left out or avoided. In Cassie Mac Duff’s defense interviewing elected officials is beyond difficult because many of them are very corrupt and want to control the article or go off the record every 10 seconds. So if you want to get statements from them that they wont deny later you must play but a bad set of rules. My biggest beef with this article is the Liberal way the writer and Mayor of San Bernardino talk about economic progress.
Here is what they call progress:
- New Superior Court high-rise
- Transit Center and
- New health clinic nearing completion.
Two of these things are government buildings built with TAX DOLLARS not hubs for economic growth. The New Health Clinic is an extension of Loma Linda University health and if we don’t keep pumping Billions of TAX DOLLARS into peoples pockets this massive clinic will be nothing more than an empty building.
Probably the only thing I agree with in this article is the cities creation of a monthly Food Truck Festival and the city staffer that is responsible for spearheading this effort is Brenda Leggitt and her team. They listen to the public and do their best to bring the best trucks to the city of San Bernardino.
Here is info from the Press Enterprise article on the food truck event:
“The food truck craze has also hit San Bernardino. The third Thursday of each month, the City Hall parking lot is roped off for a Food Fest, with food trucks and live bands. Even with the summer heat, the event attracts 2,500 to 2,600 people, not just office workers from the surrounding government buildings, but families now, Mayor Carey Davis told me on Friday. The monthly event has grown from five trucks to nine, Davis said, featuring gourmet grilled cheese, chicken and waffles, barbecue, salads and, of course, cupcakes. I stopped by last month and saw people lined up at every truck.”
I guess Mayor Davis believes that people who rife the bus and can’t afford cars can afford to eat out all the time because they left some land vacant for lunch spots and retail development. In that area you have the Old Carousel Mall & adjoining smaller retail pads that are vacant ghost towns and the Inland Center Mall just south of there that still has issues securing retail tenants.
“Omnitrans, the bus agency, left two acres vacant next to the transit center for commercial development such as lunch spots and retail shops. Those are needed. Downtown San Bernardino doesn’t have a lot of options apart from a McDonald’s, a Starbucks and a HoneyBaked Ham (which makes a terrific ham-and-cheese, by the way).”
So the newspaper article and Mayor Davis want you to believe that the area around the transit center is void of food options. So I guess the Mayor forgot about the Taco Bell, Del Taco, Chinese Food Resturant & of course the In & Out that was moved up the street to make room for the 215 freeway extension? In & Out should be irate that they were left out of consideration given how popular they are. This area is full of homeless people, homeless people don’t shop for food they beg for it so who is going to patronize these businesses?
What is a major part of San Bernardino’s demise is the rampant crime and drug use that thrives within the city. Three to four times a week someone is violently attacked, San Bernardino’s lax stance on Marijuana has allowed other drugs to come back into popularity including Meth and San Bernardino is the go to place for harmful toxic drug fests with no regard to the public safety. Also it looks like San Bernardino opened up a Airport to never fly planes out of it. Look below the Mayor touts an aircraft dismantler as a sign of progress San Bernardino International Airport. I don’t know about you but my idea of progress and a International Airport is I don’t know maybe Commercial Flights?
“He also told me there’s also a new business at San Bernardino International Airport (the former Norton Air Force Base), an aircraft dismantler. The airport will host an air show Oct. 17, Davis said. I’m glad San Bernardino’s bankruptcy (declared in 2012 and still pending in court) didn’t bring everything to a screeching halt in the city. That’s not to say everything is peachy, either. The city is embroiled in a dispute with its auditors over delays completing crucial reviews. The firm blames the city manager’s office; the city manager’s office blames the auditors. The City Council is considering a lawsuit.”
The last paragraph above eludes to more issues with getting a plan to remove themselves from Bankruptcy. What is funny is the reason they are in this position is because of the mismanagement of funds and constant fighting among those in city hall. This November there is a lot of chances for change and its up to residents to step up and as Joe Britt used to say on his Radio Show “Use the mighty power of the pen”.
rialtonow 